Mousterian Layer Research Articles

Corrigendum

Corrigendum

Ground truth validated 3D electrical resistivity imaging of the archaeological deposits at Arma Veirana cave (northern Italy)

ABSTRACTWe present 3D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) imaging of the archaeological deposits at Arma Veirana cave (northern Italy), to date only partially explored. The archaeological importance of the cave is due to the presence of a rich Mousterian layer, traces of Late Upper Palaeolithic (Epigravettian) temporary occupations and an Early Mesolithic burial of a female newborn. ERT is rarely employed in Palaeolithic cave contexts because Palaeolithic remains are typically disseminated in loose deposits and either do not possess high electrical resistivity contrasts or are too small to be detected. Furthermore, some issues can derive from the confined environment in caves. In this view, our study represents an opportunity to assess the capability of this geophysical method to retrieve subsurface information of Palaeolithic cave deposits and create a framework for the improvement of ERT applications in such a peculiar cave context. The aim of this study was to define the features of the deposits (i.e. geometry, thickness and sediment distribution) and to map the morphology of the underlying bedrock. Results reveal that the thickness of the deposits varies both along the primary axis of the cave and transverse to it. This study allowed the recognition of shallow, meter‐sized, fine‐grained sediment‐filled structures with a longitudinal orientation with respect to the primary axis of the cave, as well as a possible erosional‐like structure. The cross‐validation of geophysical results with the archaeological evidence (the Early Mesolithic newborn burial and Epigravettian artefacts) confirms that the low‐resistivity unit could be the most promising from an archaeological point of view.

Middle and early upper Pleistocene human occupations in Southern Italy. A reassessment of the assemblages from Cala d’Arconte, Capo Grosso and Cala Bianca

In southern Italy, the number of Acheulean sites in a secure stratigraphic context is small and sites with control over the age of the deposit and of the artefacts are even less. The open-air sites of Cala d’Arconte, Capo Grosso and Cala Bianca, located along the Italian south-west coastline, represent, in this context, an important source of information for the Lower Paleolithic.These sites were discovered and preliminarily studied in 1967–70 by A. Palma di Cesnola and P. Gambassini of the University of Siena, who ascribed them to the Acheulean due to the recovery of several handaxes associated with flaking reduction systems part of which attributed to the Levallois technology. A small number of the handaxes was recovered in its stratigraphic position while Levallois artefacts were collected exclusively on surface, leaving the question about the relations between these two groups unsolved.Here, the sites of Cala d’Arconte, Capo Grosso and Cala Bianca and their lithic collections are reinvestigated by re-evaluating the stratigraphy at each locality and by analyzing the techno-typology of the available artefacts. During a test trench carried out at Cala Bianca, several Levallois artefacts were discovered in situ in the uppermost part of the sequence in a layer located above a tephra recently attributed to the X-6 marker of the Monticchio series dated to 108.33 ± 1.08 ka. We suggest that these in situ Levallois artefacts belong to a Mousterian layer that must be considered as the most plausible origin for the Levallois assemblage previously collected out of context at this site. In turn, we also suggest that the Levallois and biface components collected from the surface at Cala Bianca and Capo Grosso derive from distinct occupations in time.

Mid-Late Pleistocene Neanderthal landscapes in southern Italy: Paleoecological contributions of the avian assemblage from Grotta del Cavallo, Apulia, southern Italy

We present a detailed paleoecologic analysis of avian assemblages from the Mousterian layers of the Middle Paleolithic Grotta del Cavallo site in southern Italy. Findings improve knowledge of the landscape that was exploited by Neanderthals. During the MIS 7, 6 and 3, the cave was surrounded by extensive grasslands and shrublands, locally interspersed by open woodland and rocky outcrops, whereas the coastal plain (currently underwater) hosted wetlands. Water bird taxa show an increase in population size during the cool-temperate climatic interval attributed to MIS 3, possibly linked to more humid conditions or a shorter distance between the wetland settings and the cave, compared to the previous glacial phase (MIS 6). In addition, coverage-based rarefied richness suggests higher avian diversity during MIS 3, which may reflect greater landscape heterogeneity due to the presence of wetland habitats. The tentative discovery of Branta leucopsis, together with several bird species currently found at higher altitudes, reinforces geochemically-derived palaeoclimate inferences of cooler than the present conditions. These assemblages also include the first fossil occurrence of Larus genei worldwide, the first Italian occurrence of Emberiza calandra, the oldest Italian occurrence of Podiceps nigricollis, and the occurrence of the rarely reported Sylvia cf. communis. Taphonomic analyses indicate that bone modifications are mainly due to physical syn- and post-depositional processes, and that the assemblage mainly accumulated through short-range physical transport and the feeding activities of nocturnal raptors.

Late Neandertals in central Italy. High-resolution chronicles from Grotta dei Santi (Monte Argentario - Tuscany)

Most of the Middle Palaeolithic evidence of Central Italy still lacks a reliable chrono-cultural framework mainly due to research history. In this context Grotta dei Santi, a wide cave located on Monte Argentario, on the southern coast of Tuscany, is particularly relevant as it contains a very well preserved sequence including several Mousterian layers. Research carried out at this site in the last years (2007–2017) allowed for a preliminary estimation of its chronology based on a set of radiometric determinations which place the investigated sequence in the time interval between 50 and 40 ka BP. Alongside the chronological issue, this paper mainly focuses on the geoarchaeological and zooarchaeological (micro and macro fauna) studies carried out on the materials retrieved during the 2007–2014 excavation fieldworks. The results of these studies are consistent with those from the radiometric chronology. A state of art concerning the MIS3 Italian sites is also provided in order to highlight the key role Grotta dei Santi may play in the assessment of late Neandertals’ behaviour within the framework of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition of Central Italy.

Precise dating of the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in Murcia (Spain) supports late Neandertal persistence in Iberia

The late persistence in Southern Iberia of a Neandertal-associated Middle Paleolithic is supported by the archeological stratigraphy and the radiocarbon and luminescence dating of three newly excavated localities in the Mula basin of Murcia (Spain). At Cueva Antón, Mousterian layer I-k can be no more than 37,100 years-old. At La Boja, the basal Aurignacian can be no less than 36,500 years-old. The regional Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition process is thereby bounded to the first half of the 37th millennium Before Present, in agreement with evidence from Andalusia, Gibraltar and Portugal. This chronology represents a lag of minimally 3000 years with the rest of Europe, where that transition and the associated process of Neandertal/modern human admixture took place between 40,000 and 42,000 years ago. The lag implies the presence of an effective barrier to migration and diffusion across the Ebro river depression, which, based on available paleoenvironmental indicators, would at that time have represented a major biogeographical divide. In addition, (a) the Phlegraean Fields caldera explosion, which occurred 39,850 years ago, would have stalled the Neandertal/modern human admixture front because of the population sink it generated in Central and Eastern Europe, and (b) the long period of ameliorated climate that came soon after (Greenland Interstadial 8, during which forests underwent a marked expansion in Iberian regions south of 40°N) would have enhanced the “Ebro Frontier” effect. These findings have two broader paleoanthropological implications: firstly, that, below the Ebro, the archeological record made prior to 37,000 years ago must be attributed, in all its aspects and components, to the Neandertals (or their ancestors); secondly, that modern human emergence is best seen as an uneven, punctuated process during which long-lasting barriers to gene flow and cultural diffusion could have existed across rather short distances, with attendant consequences for ancient genetics and models of human population history.

Before the transition? The final middle Palaeolithic lithic industry from the Grotte du Renne (layer XI) at Arcy-sur-Cure (Burgundy, France)

The Grotte du Renne at Arcy-sur-Cure (Burgundy, France) has yielded remains from several occupation layers, extending from the end of the middle Palaeolithic to the upper Palaeolithic. The last Mousterian layer (XI), which precedes the Châtelperronian occupations (layers Xa, Xb, Xc, IX, VIII), was previously interpreted as a precursor of the transition complex. The new study of the lithic assemblage of layer XI, in the context of the other final Mousterian occupations in Arcy (Grotte du Bison, Galerie Schoepflin Rotonde, Grotte de l’Hyène) challenges this hypothesis. The Mousterian Arcy complex can be divided into three main techno-complexes: Levallois–Charentian, Discoid–Denticulate and Levallois Mousterian. We observed a rupture between the final Mousterian and Châtelperronian industries as regards all the aspects of the technical system; production methods, blank management, tool types, and some changes in raw material composition.

New luminescence dating results based on polymineral fine grains from the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic site of La Ferrassie (Dordogne, SW France)

Abstract In this study we compare different infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signals for dating archaeological deposits. The IRSL and the more recently developed post-IR IRSL (pIR-IR) methods were investigated using polymineral fine grains extracted from the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic western excavation area in the site of La Ferrassie (Dordogne, SW France). The IRSL data measured at 50 °C (IR 50 ) are compared to those obtained with the elevated pIR-IR signals measured for two stimulation temperatures, 225 °C (pIR-IR 225 ) and 290 °C (pIR-IR 290 ). The signals are documented in terms of bleaching and fading rates. In addition, comparisons of the IR 50 ages corrected either with the H + L method (Huntley and Lamothe, 2001) or with the dose rate correction method (DRC, Lamothe et al. , 2003) are presented. Results show that the polymineral fine grains give a reasonable estimate of the burial age of the samples. The IR 50 and pIR-IR 225 provide the most reliable ages when they are corrected using the DRC method (because of saturation effects). The polymineral ages are then compared with the previously obtained ages on K-feldspar coarse grains, quartz OSL (Guerin et al. , 2015) and radiocarbon ages with the aim of accessing information on the depositional processes. It appears that further comparison of polymineral fine grains to coarse grains is beneficial to evaluate bleaching. Moreover, the polymineral results either confirm or refine the chronology of the La Ferrassie sequence proposed by Guerin et al. (2015), that is, the Mousterian layers range from marine isotope stage (MIS) 5 to the middle of MIS 3. In particular, i) the base of Layer 3 is pushed back to the end of MIS 4 or beginning MIS 3 and ii) the chronological attribution of Layers 4 and 5 is confirmed as MIS 3. Finally, the chronology of the Aurignacian layer (Layer 7) is strengthened by all the feldspars results.

The complementarity of luminescence dating methods illustrated on the Mousterian sequence of the Roc de Marsal: A series of reindeer-dominated, Quina Mousterian layers dated to MIS 3

Located in southwest France, Roc de Marsal is a cave with a rich Mousterian stratigraphic sequence. The lower part of the sequence (Layers 9–5) are characterized by assemblages dominated by Levallois lithic technology associated with composite faunal spectra (including red deer, roe deer and reindeer) that shows a gradual increase in the frequency of reindeer. The top of the sequence (Layers 4–2) are characterised instead by Quina lithic technology (both in terms of technology and typology) with the faunal remains dominated by reindeer. Roc de Marsal thus provides a very interesting case study to place behavioural changes in a context of changing climates and environments in western Europe during the late Pleistocene. To link the occupations at Roc de Marsal with global and regional climatic conditions known independently, a robust chronology is needed. With this aim in mind, we applied three luminescence dating methods (TL, OSL and IRSL) on different minerals (flint, quartz and K-feldspar extracts). Here the results of two of these methods are presented in detail (TL and OSL) and compared with preliminary IRSL data. At Roc de Marsal, a comparison of methods was necessary to overcome a complex sedimentary history, with very heterogeneous dose rate distributions, both at the beta (mm) and gamma (dm) dose rate scales. The results indicate that the lower Levallois layers are dated to ∼65–70 ka, while overlying Quina layers are dated to ∼49 ka. These ages for the lower layers fit well with some models that place mixed faunal assemblages in the initial MIS 4; however, while the Quina ages overlap with several other Quina assemblages from the region, they place the reindeer dominated fauna well after the peak cold of MIS 4 and suggest a more extended and complex period of contemporaneous lithic techno-complexes than posited by some current models.

Formation processes and stratigraphic integrity of the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic sequence at Cova Gran de Santa Linya (Southeastern Prepyrenees of Lleida, Iberian Peninsula)

Sediments from Cova Gran de Santa Linya (Southeastern Prepyrenees of Lleida, Iberia) are investigated by geoarchaeological means.Micromorphological, textural, quartz grain morphoscopy and geochemical analyses are coupled with stratigraphic and sedimentary macroscopic data to provide new insights into the formation processes and the integrity of the occupation layers and embedded sterile deposit documented at the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic boundary.Direct indicators of the anthropogenic and natural dynamics involved in the deposition and alteration of the sediments investigated are provided.Results reveal the presence of in situ combustion structures as a major sedimentary indicator of human activity and occupation surfaces at the site. The overall good preservation of the combustion residues indicates that occupation layers have been preserved in their original context of deposition. Traits of surface exposure in parallel to progressive lessening of evidence related to human activity at the top of the Middle Palaeolithic sequence suggest discontinuity in the occupation of the site and a possible abandonment of the rock-shelter at the end of this period.Formation processes of the sterile deposit documented between the Mousterian and the Early Upper Palaeolithic levels involved the accumulation of debris from local sediments and soils as well as from the structure of the rock-shelter.Soil-forming dynamics related to palaeoenvironmental moisture fluctuations have also been recorded throughout the sequence investigated and indicate periods of surface stability during the formation of the sterile deposit.Environmental dynamics active during the formation of the sterile partially disturbed the top of the Mousterian layer, however, our data indicate that such dynamics did not substantially affect the overall integrity of the archaeological record.Our results highlight the crucial contribution of geoarchaeology and microstratigraphy to the characterisation and assessment of the anthropogenic and natural dynamics involved in the accumulation and taphonomy of Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic sequences.

Analysis of Site Formation and Assemblage Integrity Does Not Support Attribution of the Uluzzian to Modern Humans at Grotta del Cavallo.

Based on the morphology of two deciduous molars and radiocarbon ages from layers D and E of the Grotta del Cavallo (Lecce, Italy), assigned to the Uluzzian, it has been proposed that modern humans were the makers of this Early Upper Paleolithic culture and that this finding considerably weakens the case for an independent emergence of symbolism among western European Neandertals. Reappraisal of the new dating evidence, of the finds curated in the Taranto Antiquities depot, and of coeval publications detailing the site’s 1963–66 excavations shows that (a) Protoaurignacian, Aurignacian and Early Epigravettian lithics exist in the assemblages from layers D and E, (b) even though it contains both inherited and intrusive items, the formation of layer D began during Protoaurignacian times, and (c) the composition of the extant Cavallo assemblages is influenced in a non-negligible manner by the post-hoc assignment of items to stratigraphic units distinct from that of original discovery. In addition, a major disturbance feature affected the 1960s excavation trench down to Mousterian layer F, this feature went unrecognized until 1964, the human remains assigned to the Uluzzian were discovered that year and/or the previous year, and there are contradictions between field reports and the primary anthropological description of the remains as to their morphology and level of provenience. Given these major contextual uncertainties, the Cavallo teeth cannot be used to establish the authorship of the Uluzzian. Since this technocomplex’s start date is ca. 45,000 calendar years ago, a number of Neandertal fossils are dated to this period, and the oldest diagnostic European modern human fossil is the <41,400 year-old Oase 1 mandible, Neandertal authorship of the Uluzzian remains the parsimonious reading of the evidence.

A multi-method luminescence dating of the Palaeolithic sequence of La Ferrassie based on new excavations adjacent to the La Ferrassie 1 and 2 skeletons

A new interdisciplinary project was initiated to excavate a portion of the Palaeolithic site of La Ferrassie left intact by earlier excavations. One of the aims of this project was to provide chronological information on the succession of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic layers, as well as on the skeletons unearthed by Capitan and Peyrony in the early 1900's. We report here preliminary results on the lithics, faunal remains, site formation processes, and on the stratigraphic context of the La Ferrassie 1 and 2 skeletons that were found adjacent to our excavations. Finally, results from luminescence dating of the sediments and a preliminary set of radiocarbon ages are presented. Quartz OSL, both at the multi-grain and single-grain levels of analysis, and post-IR IRSL of feldspar at various stimulation temperatures are compared. The quartz/feldspar comparison revealed a bleaching problem for the quartz OSL (and the feldspar pIRIR signals) from Layer 2; as a consequence, the age of this Layer was determined using a minimum age model.A Mousterian industry with bifaces, at the base of the sequence, has been dated between 91 ± 9 and 44 ± 3 ka. The Ferrassie Mousterian layers are attributed to MIS 3, between 54 ± 3 and 40 ± 2 ka, and thus appear very late in the final Middle Palaeolithic of the region; furthermore, these ages constrain the chronology of the La Ferrassie 1 and 2 skeletons, which have been attributed to one of these Ferrassie Mousterian layers. The Châtelperronian layer is dated to 42 ± 3 ka and the Aurignacian to 37 ± 2 ka. Implications of the ages for the La Ferrassie 1 and 2 skeletons, and for the variability of late Mousterian, are discussed.

A geode painted with ochre by the Neanderthal man

The archaeological research carried out at Cioarei-Boroşteni Cave, Romania, exposed, in the H Mousterian layer (GrN 15054: 47.900+1800/–1500 BP), a spherical-ellipsoidal geode. Its structure was determined using a tomograph with special resolution. The particular morphology, aspect and features of the geode drew the attention of the Neanderthal man who introduced it into the cave due to its unusual look as compared to the other rocks. Using a fibre-optic digital microscope, it has been observed that the geode was painted with ochre. The Neanderthal man must have certainly attached an aesthetic importance to it, while its having been painted with ochre was an addition meant to confer symbolic value. Also, in Cioarei Cave, in addition to the ochre samples, the oldest ochre preparation containers made of stalagmites and stalagmite crusts were uncovered.

A retouched bone shaft from the Late Mousterian at Fumane cave (Italy). Technological, experimental and micro-wear analysis

This paper describes a retouched bone shaft found in a Late Mousterian layer at Fumane Cave, northern Italy. The interpretation of the anthropic nature of the retouch is based on the identification of specific morpho-technological markers through experimentation. An integrated taphonomic and technological analysis was applied to the archaeological artifact. The evidence suggests that the bone shaft modifications involved the use of direct percussion through a transfer of technical knowledge from flint knapping. However, this does not necessarily imply that this technique was used in the absence of a more effective one. Similar cases of the use of bone as raw material for tool manufacturing are documented in the Lower Palaeolithic, and might have been related to the lack of appropriate lithic raw material, although this is not the case for Fumane cave.

A rock engraving made by Neanderthals in Gibraltar.

The production of purposely made painted or engraved designs on cave walls--a means of recording and transmitting symbolic codes in a durable manner--is recognized as a major cognitive step in human evolution. Considered exclusive to modern humans, this behavior has been used to argue in favor of significant cognitive differences between our direct ancestors and contemporary archaic hominins, including the Neanderthals. Here we present the first known example of an abstract pattern engraved by Neanderthals, from Gorham's Cave in Gibraltar. It consists of a deeply impressed cross-hatching carved into the bedrock of the cave that has remained covered by an undisturbed archaeological level containing Mousterian artifacts made by Neanderthals and is older than 39 cal kyr BP. Geochemical analysis of the epigenetic coating over the engravings and experimental replication show that the engraving was made before accumulation of the archaeological layers, and that most of the lines composing the design were made by repeatedly and carefully passing a pointed lithic tool into the grooves, excluding the possibility of an unintentional or utilitarian origin (e.g., food or fur processing). This discovery demonstrates the capacity of the Neanderthals for abstract thought and expression through the use of geometric forms.

On the chronology of the Uluzzian

The Uluzzian, one of Europe's ‘transitional’ technocomplexes, has gained particular significance over the past three years when the only human remains associated with it were attributed to modern humans, instead of Neanderthals as previously thought. The position of the Uluzzian at stratified sequences, always overlying late Mousterian layers and underlying early Upper Palaeolithic ones, highlights its significance in understanding the passage from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic, as well as the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans in southeastern Mediterranean Europe. Despite several studies investigating aspects of its lithic techno-typology, taxonomy and material culture, the Uluzzian chronology has remained extremely poorly-known, based on a handful of dubious chronometric determinations. Here we aim to elucidate the chronological aspect of the technocomplex by presenting an integrated synthesis of new radiocarbon results and a Bayesian statistical approach from four stratified Uluzzian cave sequences in Italy and Greece (Cavallo, Fumane, Castelcivita and Klissoura 1). In addition to building a reliable chronological framework for the Uluzzian, we examine its appearance, tempo-spatial spread and correlation to previous and later Palaeolithic assemblages (Mousterian, Protoaurignacian) at the relevant regions. We conclude that the Uluzzian arrived in Italy and Greece shortly before 45,000 years ago and its final stages are placed at ∼39,500 years ago, its end synchronous (if not slightly earlier) with the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption.

Mammoths of the Molodova V Paleolithic site (Dniester Basin): The case of dental thin-enamel specialization and paleoecological adaptation

Molars of mammoths from the Mousterian Layer 11 of the Molodova V Paleolithic site (Dniester Basin) were thoroughly studied. The material was examined using the author's method for construction and analysis of multivariate diagrams in the coordinates of the major dental evolving characters in the Archidiskodon–Mammuthus lineage. According to the morphometric data of M3, and the combination of values of the enamel thickness, length and frequency of plates in a tooth crown, the mammoths analyzed belong to one of thin-enamel groups within the genus Mammuthus. Mammoths with a similar structure of the crown and a peculiar morphology of dental plates were adapted to severe periglacial climates of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene. The conclusions on the ecological confinement of the mammoths discussed and their relative geological age (end of Saalian — first half of Weichselian) determined from their position within the mammoth lineage (in accordance with the M3 parameters), are supported by the results of comprehensive studies of Layer 11 in the Molodova V site, and are in good agreement with other faunal and paleobotanical data.

A reassessment of the presumed Neandertal remains from San Bernardino Cave, Italy

In 1986–1987, three human remains were unearthed from macro-unit II of San Bernardino Cave (Berici Hills, Veneto, Italy), a deposit containing a late Mousterian lithic assemblage. The human remains (a distal phalanx, a lower right third molar and a lower right second deciduous incisor) do not show diagnostic morphological features that could be used to determine whether they were from Homo neanderthalensis or Homo sapiens. Despite being of small size, and thus more similar to recent H. sapiens, the specimens were attributed to Neandertals, primarily because they were found in Mousterian layers. We carried out a taxonomic reassessment of the lower right third molar (LRM3; San Bernardino 4) using digital morphometric analysis of the root, ancient DNA analysis, carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses, and direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating of dentine collagen. Mitochondrial DNA analysis and root morphology show that the molar belongs to a modern human and not to a Neandertal. Carbon 14 (14C) dating of the molar attributes it to the end of the Middle Ages (1420–1480 cal AD, 2 sigma). Carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses suggest that the individual in question had a diet similar to that of Medieval Italians. These results show that the molar, as well as the other two human remains, belong to recent H. sapiens and were introduced in the Mousterian levels post-depositionally.

An ochered fossil marine shell from the mousterian of fumane cave, Italy.

A scanty but varied ensemble of finds challenges the idea that Neandertal material culture was essentially static and did not include symbolic items. In this study we report on a fragmentary Miocene-Pliocene fossil marine shell, Aspa marginata , discovered in a Discoid Mousterian layer of the Fumane Cave, northern Italy, dated to at least 47.6-45.0 Cal ky BP. The shell was collected by Neandertals at a fossil exposure probably located more than 100 kms from the site. Microscopic analysis of the shell surface identifies clusters of striations on the inner lip. A dark red substance, trapped inside micropits produced by bioeroders, is interpreted as pigment that was homogeneously smeared on the outer shell surface. Dispersive X-ray and Raman analysis identify the pigment as pure hematite. Of the four hypotheses we considered to explain the presence of this object at the site, two (tool, pigment container) are discarded because in contradiction with observations. Although the other two (“manuport”, personal ornament) are both possible, we favor the hypothesis that the object was modified and suspended by a ‘thread’ for visual display as a pendant. Together with contextual and chronometric data, our results support the hypothesis that deliberate transport and coloring of an exotic object, and perhaps its use as pendant, was a component of Neandertal symbolic culture, well before the earliest appearance of the anatomically modern humans in Europe.

Radiocarbon (AMS) dating the Classic Aurignacian, Proto-Aurignacian and Vasconian Mousterian at Gatzarria Cave (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France)

The site of Gatzarria (Pyrenean France) was excavated in the 1960s and 1970s by Georges Laplace. The importance of the site lies in the fact that it contains a stratified sequence of Aurignacian industries (Proto-Aurignacian — Classic Aurignacian — Late Aurignacian), a Châtelperronian layer, as well as a long sequence of Mousterian layers (including what has been termed the Vasconian Mousterian). It is thus a key site for assessing the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition as well as the techno-typological and chronological relationship between Aurignacian industries. As such, we decided to date animal bone samples by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon method (with ultrafiltration) from the Classic Aurignacian (Cbf), Proto-Aurignacian (Cjn2) and Vasconian Mousterian (Cjr) layers. After detailed evaluation of the stratigraphy of the site based on lithic analyses, projections, as well as refits of the Laplace excavation collection, we determined the most appropriate squares from which to sample and bones to select. The results are stratigraphically coherent, with an overlap in chronometric dates between the two early stratified Aurignacian industries : Classic Aurignacian 34 250 ± 550 and 34 400 ± 550 14C BP; Proto-Aurignacian : 36 300 ± 700 and 33 800 ± 550 14C BP. The Vasconian Mousterian, which has been argued as a late Mousterian facies by radiometric data, is older at this site than has been argued at other sites: Vasconian Mousterian: > 47 400 and > 50 300 14C BP. These represent the first dates ever obtained on this key site.This article presents the site, the selection and dating methodology and discusses the results within the larger western European Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition context, particularly that of the Pyrenean region. The critical importance of stratigraphy integrity assessments of museum collections of sites excavated before the benefit of geoarchaeological analyses is emphasized here, especially when considering chronometric dating.